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Islam
Only Allah must be worshipped and no other being should be associated with Allah
The sin of idolatry – shirk – is the worst of all sins
Allah is all knowing and all powerful and the creator of all things- transcendent
Yet Allah is also immanent- close to the heat of all,
Religion notes
They are created by God from light to serve and worship him – especially the Angel
Gabriel (Jibril)
Two guardian angels are assigned to each person
Every thought and action will be recorded by these two angels (so that the life of a
Muslim may be assessed after death)
RUSUL – PROPHETS
A prophet is a messenger from God
God speaks to us through the prophets
Religion notes
Islam believes that there were many prophets – 25 are named in the Qur’an
including Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus – but that Muhammad was the last.
Yes – it believes that Jesus was a prophet – not God.
“Verily, We have inspired you as We have inspired Noah and the Prophets after Him…”
(Qur’an, 4:163)
The Qur’an mentions that God has revealed four major holy books:
− The Torah to Moses
− The Psalms to David
− The Gospel to Jesus
− The Qur’an to Muhammad
“…It is He Who has sent down the Book (Qur’an) to you (with truth, confirming what
came before it. And he sent down the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injeel Gospel).” (Qur’an,
3:3) “…and to David We gave Zabur (the Psalms).” (Qur’an, 4:163
The Qur’an
The Qur’an is a book of:
• 30 equal parts (juz)
• 604 pages (suhuf)
• 114 chapters (sura)
• 6238 verses (ayah)
four key themes covered in the Qur’an throughout the whole book:
1. Monotheism – The Qur’an describes God, His existence and unity. The concept of
God and God’s attributes are mentioned in many places in the Qur’an.
2. Prophethood – The Qur’an describes the need for prophets, their responsibilities
and struggles in the way of God. It does not tell stories of prophets in great length,
rather, it highlights the essential aspects of their stories that point to the essential
principles of life and humanity. Sometimes, a particular story is examined from more
than one angle to indicate different aspects and principles.
3. Resurrection – The Qur’an proves the existence of resurrection by directing our
attention to the continued resurrection that happens around us in nature. It also
describes details of life after death.
4. Justice – Every commandment of God contained in the Qur’an directs humanity to
find the Sirat-al Mustaqeem (the straight & balanced path) in one’s personal and
social life. Islam also enjoins an endeavour to reach a wholesome balance in one’s
emotions, thought, beliefs and devotional and social conduct.
Religion notes
• The Qur’an was preserved in three different ways during the lifetime of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Written records – When a new revelation was received, he would recite it to
a scribe, who would write it on a parchment, animal skin or whatever
material they could find.
Systematic memorisation – The Prophet asked his companions to memorise
passages of the Qur’an that had been revealed to date. As a result, hundreds
of people knew the whole Qur’an by heart and thousands more memorised
large chunks of it.
Religion notes
hadith
Hadith (Prophetic Narratives) Overview
• Hadith – collections of sayings and traditions of Muhammad
• 2 types – Prophetic Hadith & Sacred Hadiths
• They portray Muhammad as a man of great wisdom, character, mercy &
compassion.
• Following Muhammad’s death many traditions were gathered together about his life
forming the basis of the hadiths.
• Hadiths must not be confused with the Sunnah (Muslim laws that have been formed
based on Muhammad’s actions or words).
Religion notes
Collection Phase
• Caliph Omar bin Abdulaziz (d. 721), 90 years after the Prophet (pbuh), initiated a
state-sponsored collection of hadith from all over the Muslim world into one
centre.
• He feared that unless hadith were recorded firmly in books they could be lost
forever with the death of great hadith masters.
• Hadith scholars in the capital Medina, led by the famous hadith master Zuhri,
collected all available hadith narrations into volumes.
Classification Phase
• With the pool of hadith available in writing, more work were required to make it
easier to utilise the vast pool of narratives in teaching and Islamic law. This was
done in:
• − Authenticating hadith in a critical analysis
• − Categorising hadith under subject matters
• Hadith authentication considered two main aspects of
narratives:
• − Content (matn)
• − Reference (isnad)
• Imam Malik’s Muwatta, was the first hadith collection that included
authenticated hadith categorised in subject matters.
Bukhari’s Criteria
• The narrator has to be a Muslim.
• The narrator has to be a mature and intelligent person.
• Narrations of children or mentally disabled are not accepted.
• The narrator has to be known for his/her absolute truthfulness. If a person is known
to have lied about anything, his/her narrations are not accepted.
• The narrator has to be famous, that is; at least two qualified narrators must have
received narrations from him/her. His/her life and qualifications has to be known.
Religion notes
• The narrator has to be an honest and objective person and not hide any
shortcomings in narrations.
• The narrator has to practice the religion better than ordinary Muslims.
• The narrator has to have firm faith without having extreme views about essentials of
faith.
• The narrator has to be good in keeping his written records and memorised
narrations.
• There has to be no brake in the chain of narrators. The chain of narrations should
include people who have actually seen one another all the way back to the Prophet.
• The narration (hadith) should not be in conflict with verses from Qur’an and other
proven narrations.
Quotes
Tawhid
• "He is Allah, the One, Allah is Eternal and Absolute. None is born of Him, He is
unborn. There is none like unto Him". (surah 112)
• "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. He is above all
comprehension, yet it acquainted with all things" (surah 6:103)
Religion notes
• "It was We who created man, and We know even the secret suggestions his soul
makes to him; for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein" (surah 50:16)
Angels
• "The Lord said to the angels. "when I have created Man and breathed My spirit
into him then fall ye down and worship him." So, all he angels bowed down in
worship, all of them together. But not so Iblis the chief jinn: he refused to be
among those who bowed down" (surah 15:28-31)
• "Behold two guardians appointed to learn his doings, one sitting on his right and
one on the left. Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready to
note it." (surah 50:17-18).
• "He sends forth guardians to watch over you and when death overtakes you, the
messengers will carry away your soul." (surah 6:61)
Books of Allah
• "Those who say "Allah does not send down revelations to humans" do not judge
rightly. Who sent down the book which Musa brought - a light and guidance for
humanity? But you have made it into separate books for show, and you conceal
much of its contents" (surah 6:91)
• "believe in what has been sent down to thee Muhammad and what has been sent
down before thee" (Surah 2: 4).
Rusul
• "Allah chooses for Himself whoever He pleases, and guides to Himself those who
turn to Him" (surah 42:13).
• "Who can be better in faith than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good
and follows the way of Ibrahim, the true in faith? For Allah did take Ibrahim for a
friend." (surah 4:125)
• "We gave Musa the Book and followed him up with a succession of Apostles: We
gave Isa the son of Maryam clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit."
(surah 2:87)
Akhira
• "One burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another. And even if the heavy-
laden soul should cry out for its burden to be carried not one bit of it shall be
carried, not even by the next of kin" (surah 35:18).
Religion notes
• "Your good actions will benefit only you, while evil harms only
the person who does it." (surah 41:46)
Fate/predestination
• "Whatever Allah grants to humanity out of His mercy, no one can withhold and what
He withholds no one can grant apart from Him. He is the source of Power, the All-
Knowing" (surah 35:2)
• "If Allah lay the touch of trouble on you, no one can deliver you from it save Allah
alone; and if He wills good for you, no one can prevent His blessing. He confers them
on His servants as He chooses" (surah 10:107)
• "On the Day of Judgment no step of a servant of Allah shall slip until he has answered
concerning four things:
his body and how he used it
his life and how he spent it
his wealth and how he earned
his knowledge and what he did with it"(Hadith)
Ethics in Islam
• Islam ethics is all about one’s relationship with Allah and others
• All actions have a consequence.
• All rules determined by Allah
• Your life will be judged at Yawmuddin
• Aim in Life is to spend eternity with Allah in Heaven
Religion notes
SOURCES OF ETHICS
• Qur’an – word of Allah
• Hadith / Words and Action of M. Sunna – Laws or Muslim actions that come from
Hadith. Often used together.
• Shari’ah Law, Muslim Scholars,
• Qiyas (Analogies, precedents)
• Ijma (Consenus, agreements) Muhammad said "My community will never agree
upon an error" often cited as support for the validity of Ijma
• Right Action
• SHARI'AH LAW (clear overall framework, so Muslims can follow it)
• Where the Qur'an is not sufficiently clear or detailed on a particular issue, Muslims
look to other sources
• The next step is to examine the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad known as the
Hadith and the Sunna (laws from the Hadith)
• If still in doubt, an Islamic religious scholar – through fiqh – will try to find a
precedent – ijma
• If still in doubt, an Islamic religious scholar will study Sharia Law – ijtihad – so as to
determine the correct course of action and make a ruling – a fatwah
Ijtihad
• When an issue is mentioned in the Qur'an or hadith, the correct action to be taken
by a Muslim is relatively easy to deduce.
• However, when there is no direct mention of a major issue, a Muslim scholar must
arrive at a religious judgment through collecting evidence, analysis, interpretation
and conclusions – a process known as ijtihad.
• A major scholar who carries out ijtihad is known as a mujtahid.
Fatwa
• Judgments are regularly made by leading religious authorities, who issue fatwas, or
nonbinding religious opinions.
• A religious scholar who makes a fatwa is called a mufti.
• A mufti interprets whether a behaviour or action falls into one of these five
categories, according to the Islamic shariah:
obligatory (fard or wajib)
recommended (mandub or mustahab)
permitted (halal)
undesirable but not forbidden (makra)
forbidden (haram)
Religion notes
Desirable actions
• The second level of halal actions are known as mandub or mustahab.
• These are actions that are desirable or recommended.
• Additional charitable activities or prayers, gestures of hospitality, forgiving
wrongdoing etc
• Unclear actions
• The third level of halal actions are known as mubah.
• Mubah refers to situations where there is no clear guidance in the Qur'an or in
judgments of authorities in Islam.
• In these situations, an individual must choose the correct action based on the
principles outlined above.
Religion notes
Hateful actions
• not recommended or are not approved.
• These actions are known as makruh and are officially regarded as hateful, yet are not
absolutely forbidden.
• These actions should be avoided whenever possible.
• Ending a marriage through divorce is an example of makruh.
•
Muhammed as a role model
• The example of Muhammad’s life, his faith, courage and leadership qualities provide
excellent model for Muslim life
• Surrender to Allah = Islam, Muhammad is seen as the perfect example by his total
submission to Allah
• All Muslims encouraged to follow his example in living Islam and perfecting their
character
• Chosen by Allah to convey the message of Islam- acclaimed prophet
• Tradition- reveals his character and leadership qualities
Hadith: book of his teachings
Sunna: book of his actions
• Orphaned at an early age- became a ‘child of everyone’, developed an affinity with
those marginalised and alienated
• Honesty & integrity as a trader- ‘Al –Ameen’
• Loyal faithful husband & father
• Man of prayer, spiritual searcher- close to Allah before the revelations began
• Following revelation, complete Faith, Trust in Allah, submitted fully to the will of
Allah-first Muslim and a fearless preacher and warrior for Allah and Islam
• Strong leader & statesman- virtual head of Arabia – yet humble and simple
• Arbitrator and judge, resolving disputes justly, fair wages, no corruption
• Social, political reformer - cared for the poor, abolished slavery, infanticide,
improved conditions for women
• Known as the ‘The Walking Qur’an’- embodiment of all the teachings of the Qur’an
in human form
Religion notes
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Yathrib (Medina)
• The two main cities – and hence the centres of trade – were Mecca and Medina
• Medina - formally known as Yathrib – is located in modern day Saudi Arabia.
• Grew date palms which were traded to the Bedouins
• Did not prosper as well as Mecca because of a clash between two Bedouin and three
Jewish clans
Clan Life
• There were very prominent social classes in the clan life
Shaykhs- elected leaders of the clan or tribe.
Free Warriors- Made up most of the clan.
Slave Families- people from other clans who were conquered
• Fierce Inter-clan rivalries developed and lots of blood was spilled because of these
brutal rivalries.
• Tribal warfare and violence predominated
• The tribe was ‘the sacred value’ of the culture with the concept of justice being
focused on taking revenge
Social Structure
• Early pre-Islamic civilisations occurred around one and two thousand BC
• At the centre of the Bedouin tribe (Qabilah) was the tent (Khaymah): represents
family. A camp of Khaymah formed a Hayy and one member of each Hayy made a
clan Qawm. It was these clans that grouped together to form tribes and the
members of each individual clan were blood related
• The Bedouin tribe was democratic in the sense that they had a leader; one who was
viewed as the wisest and most experienced of the other members of the clan was
elected and was known as ‘Sheikh’. This position was not hereditary.
• There was no unity or nationalism between the Arab people. Each tribe was a
separate identity with their own dialects and religion.
Religion
• Christianity was active in the region prior to the rise of Islam.
• Some tribes practised Judaism
• The Pagan Arabs made up the majority of Arabia and believed in about 360 Gods and
Goddesses. The existence of Allah was a religious reality for a minority of Arabs.
• Arabia was profoundly polytheistic environment and were superstitious
Religion notes
• In Bedouin cultures, women enjoyed a greater freedom and status then did the
women in the cities
• Women played key economic roles and descent was traced through women.
• Women were allowed multiple marriage partners just like men and men had to pay a
pay-bride price.
• Although they enjoyed these rights, women were not equal to men.
12. Khadijah took him to see her cousin Waraqa Ibn Mawfal who reassured them that
this was all ok
13. The Qur’an began to be written
14. Makes his message public (613)
15. New Muslims were persecuted in Mecca by the Quraysh because his teachings
threatened their pagan way of life
16. Khadijah dies (circa 620) and Muhammad’s uncle and protector dies.
17. Muhammad ascends to heaven (circa 621) where he speaks to God, who gives him
instructions to take back to the faithful on earth about the number of times to pray
each day
18. Muhammad moves to Medina (622) (Hijira) where he becomes a well-respected
community leader, establishes 1st planned community of Islam
19. There follows a long war when Muhammad’s army finally conquers Mecca (630)
20. Muhammad spares the conquered army, re-dedicates the Ka’ba and Islam is finally
accepted
21. Muhammad dies on June 8, 632 aged 62, buried Mecca
Judaism
Origins
• Abraham and the covenant
• Moses, the exodus and the giving of the torah
• Modern Judaism- Conservative, Orthodox and Progressive Streams ( variants)
• The essential factor that differentiates the three groups is how strictly they
apply the halakhah (Jewish Law)
• Orthodox Judaism – this is the most common stream
• They believe the Torah is literal and is the most traditional of the streams
• Insists on the Kashruth or dietary code to be followed.- Only Kosher (ritually
clean food) can be eaten.
• Strict observance of the Mitzvot – which is the direct will of God.
• There are two groups within Orthodox Judaism – these are:
• Ultra-Orthodox and Modern
Religion notes
Ultra-orthodox
• Ultra-Orthodox Jews believe that the only way the Jewish religion will survive is to
impose strict separation of Jews from secular society.
• An example are the Hasidic Jews wo rejects all attempts to sacrifice Halakhah to suit
the changing social circumstances.
• There is to be no compromise with modern life- this is seen in their clothing
Modern Judaism
• Modern Judaism is immersed in the surrounding culture while maintaining being
faithful to the Torah.
• Modern Jews become involved in most aspects of life.
• Maintain observance to the Torah and attend to the dietary, ritual and ethical
requirements.
Progressive Judaism
• Liberal branch of Judaism
• Oral and written law is not regarded as the literal word of God.
• They reject the concept of divine revelation as a direct dictation of the Tanakh by
God instead believing that the Torah was written by divinely inspired people rather
than being the literal word of God.
• Synagogue worship tend to be simplified and modernised – men and women
together and women can be rabbis
Conservative Judaism
• Span the gap between Orthodox and Progressive Judaism
• Believed that the commands in the Torah and Talmud should be followed within the
context of the living tradition.
• Ritual law is open to interpretation and up to each generation to make the Halakic
law applicable to the age.
• Interpretation of laws are changing and evolving
• Services held in the vernacular.
Religion notes
Beliefs in Judaism
Belief in 1 God
• Jews believe in one God who created the world out of love for humanity – this belief
links Judaism to the other monotheistic religious traditions of Christianity and Islam
• Jews believe that this one God has many attributes ( qualities)
• God is eternal and omnipresent
• God is a pure spirit
Covenant
• The belief in covenant is the heart of Judaism- it defines the relationship[ between
man and God where if man trusts in God and follows his ways, God will support man
• The first example of covenant in the Torah is the story of God and Noah – Flood,
where, through Noah remaining faithful God saved him and his family and a rainbow
appeared as sign of covenant
• The next most significant covenant was that of Abraham and God. God told him to
move to the promised land and that he would have many descendants, and it was
marked by circumcision – the visible sign of covenant.
• The most famous however of all the covenant between God and the Chosen people
was that of God and Moses.
• God intervened in humanity and saved the Israelites from slavery and In return,
Hebrews had to accept the 10 commandments. which God revealed to Moses
• Today, the belief in covenant is about fidelity - people are chosen to be faithful to
God and in turn God will look after them.
• God’s covenant gives people the freedom to choose their own destiny under his Law
and in return he expects them to be faithful to him.
• Covenant is important also as it stresses the notion of nationhood, land and fidelity.
Religion notes
Torah
• critical significance to the beliefs and practices of Judaism and records the
relationship between God and Hebrews.
• It contains the 613 Mitzvot (positive and negative rules for ethics)
• Provides religious instruction for daily lives and is the ethical, legal, ritual and
spiritual foundation of Judaism.
Nevi’im:
• Writings of the Prophets.
• Remind the Hebrew people of their covenantal obligations and that departing from
these obligations has negative consequences.
Ketuvim:
• Writings/ Wisdom literature.
• Contains the book of psalms and proverbs.
• Contain statements of prudent. Living
Oral Torah
• Consists of two parts – Mishnah and Gemara.
• Oral Torah is supplement to the Written Torah.
• Application and interpretation of the Torah to changing circumstances over
generations.
Religion notes
• Orthodox Jews believe that God taught the Oral Torah to Moses and he taught it to
others down to the present day. Jewish Scholars passed it down in oral form. This
tradition was maintained in oral form and only compiled and written in the 2 nd
Century CE into the Mishnah.
• The Mishnah and Gemara were collected and became the Talmud.
Mishnah
• Interpretations and applications of the Torah over generations so it could be
meaningful to people.
• Cover events such as festival days, rights of the poor, laws governing
marriage and divorce, civil and criminal law.
Gemara
• Analysis of the Mishnah
• Rabbinical commentaries about the Mishnah were gathered to form the
Gemara.
• It gives practical help to Jews.
• Today we call its message one of Social Justice: - each person has the responsibility
to rectify the inequalities of the world and help the poor, homeless, needy etc
• Jews are taught to be stewards of God
Righteousness ( Integrity)
• Proverbs tells us that true happiness accompanies the person of integrity regardless
of their situation in life.
• "Better a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked in his ways and
rich" (Proverbs 19:1).
• The reward for righteousness is well being in this and the next life
Generosity of Spirit
• Proverbs stresses that we must look after the poor and oppressed
o “If you remain indifferent in time of adversity your strength will depart from
you" (Proverbs 24:10).
• In addition God's blessing will be upon those who act generously to the poor while
those who do not will suffer the consequences of their selfishness. "He who gives to
the poor suffers no want but he who ignores them gets many a curse" (Proverbs
28:27).
• In the Talmud, Jews are further taught to apply the
• values of Gemitut Chasidim, Tzedakah, Bal Tashkit to their daily lives
Religion notes
Shabbat
• The Biblical story indicates that God rested on the 7th day after creating the world.-
Jews believe people are called to imitate God and rest on the 7 th day as well.
• Sabbath is the Jewish religious ritual held each Friday night to Saturday, where Jews
must come together as a family to celebrate the goodness of God, to study the Torah
and attend the synagogue.
• Specifically, Jews are called each Shabbat to “remember the Sabbath and keep it
holy….on that day, no one is to work… remember that you were slaves in Egypt and
that I, the Lord your God rescued you. That is why I command you to observe the
Shabbat. “ On Exodus 20>8 that day no one is to work. Exodus 20:8
• These are regarded as 2 miztvots :
• Zachor ( remember) and Shamor ( observe)
• Shabbat begins on Friday evenings with the lighting of the Shabbat candles and a
meal- Jews are carrying out halakhic requirements as a reflection of faith.
• All work is restricted to acknowledge that God is the ultimate creator and humans
are partners with God in creation.
Issues of sectarianism
• Ministers of the C of E were also the magistrates and such sat in judgement of the
crimes and decided the punishment to be applied – much of which was severe
• The Rev. Samuel Marsden was known as the Flogging parson
• The C of E was the largest and most influential religion
• Catholics felt like an underprivileged and disadvantaged group in the colony because
of the sectarian issue
Religion notes
Arrival of judasim
• The establishment of the Jewish faith was slow to get underway
• A few arrived on the 1st Fleet – but it was not until 1817 that the first minyan (a
group of 10) was formed
• The establishment of the Jewish Burial Society (Chevra Kaddisha) marked the
beginning of a functioning Jewish community
• Aaron Levy was the first rabbi in 1830in 1837, the first synagogue was opened in
Bridge St.
• In 1844, a large and more permanent synagogue was opened in George St
• The Great Synagogue was built in Elizabeth St in 1878
• By 1880, there were synagogues in most major cities – but over 40% of Jews lived in
rural areas
Arrival of Islam
• The first Muslims actually came to Australia before white settlement via the
Macassan fisherman from Indonesia beginning in the 1750s.
• They worked in the pearling industry and later on the sugar plantations
• But the Immigration Act (1901) and the establishment of territorial waters meant
that many had to leave Australia and return home
• The use of camels as a mode of transport in the Australian outback and desserts in
the 1860s saw the first Muslim camel drivers arrive from Pakistan and Afghanistan
• This came to an end in the 1920s with the demise of the camel transport industry
Employment issues
• Most businesses were owned and operated by people of Protestant background
Religion notes
• Because they had deep seated hostility to – and resentment and mistrust of –
Catholics, they would not employ them
• Accordingly, it was common to see the words “Catholics need not apply” in job
adverts
• Employment issues
• Most businesses were owned and operated by people of Protestant background
• Because they had deep seated hostility to – and resentment and mistrust of –
Catholics, they would not employ them
• Accordingly, it was common to see the words “Catholics need not apply” in job
adverts
Sabbatarianism
• This is the term coined to mean observance of – and attendance at – church services
on the Sabbath
• The C of E was instrumental in trying to make it compulsory for all convicts – both
English and Irish
• The rationale was to improve the “moral character” of the convicts
• This was met with strong resistance from each group
• However, legislation was enacted which effectively banned recreational and labour
(i.e. commercial) activities on Sundays
• But in fact, both the C of E and the Catholics had more liberal views on this
prohibition and it was ineffective
Sexual morality
• Christian views on extramarital relationships, homosexuality and divorce were quite
strong and inflexible
• Accordingly, laws governing these issues were quite strict
• It was particularly difficult to gain a divorce in these times
• It was felt that this was a strong option because it was the women who were often
the victims of alcohol abuse
• Some effect was seen but legislation to ban drinking was never enacted mainly
because the C of E and the Catholics saw no harm in having a drink in moderation
Gambling
• Christianity was influential in attempting to ban gambling in the early days of the
colony on the basis that it was dishonest to “earn” money by ways other than work
• But the Catholics saw no harm in gambling so long as it was not excessive